gadgets

Article

The Houdini Escape Tool

I have a relative who is afraid of everything, no matter how remote the odds. She barricades herself in every night thinking that someone might break in her house and hurt her, although the odds are much greater that she will suffer a heart attack and no one will be able to get in to help her. If you're going to be afraid of what might happen, go with the odds. Overall, the most likely disaster you will deal with is a traffic accident. That's why we wear seat belts all the time. If you should have a wreck,... READ ON

Article

The Hand

Why make gestures to other drivers on the highway when you can get a gadget to do it for you? The Hand is an animated picture of a hand you stick on the back window of your car. Parts of the hand light up to make different finger... READ ON

Article

Designing for Space: NASA's Industrial Designers

Design magazine Core77 sent the intrepid Glen Jackson Taylor inside NASA, to learn how the organization handles industrial design -- the process of designing the usable and beautiful devices. But when Taylor arrived, he found a surprise: "There isn't really a place for industrial designers at NASA," he wrote. "Here the engineers are considered the designers, and the team has only been able to exist under the guise of human factors, a quantifiable soft science that is acknowledged as necessary." So how... READ ON

Article

Walking Assist Device

Japan is the world leader in robotics, and has a huge and growing elderly population, so it's no wonder the Japanese are constantly trying out high... READ ON

Article

EasyBloom

As happens every year, just as soon as I get the old garden cleaned up for the winter, I start thinking about what to plant next year. I'm starting all over... READ ON

List

Halloween at Instructables

Halloween is a silly holiday, celebrating by most folks for no other reason than just plain fun. It can be quite elaborate with costumes, decorations, and haunted houses, but who wants to spend a lot of money on something you will use one day a year? Make your own Halloween gear and let your imagination run wild!Â Â Instructables is full of members who love to "do it themselves," and show you how you can, too. Here are just a few of the more recent Halloween projects; you'll find tons more in their... READ ON

Article

Blender Defender

Here's a gadget you can't buy, but you can build. It paid off twice for Brian, first by solving a household problem, then by entertaining us all on the... READ ON

Article

Galileo Mobility

Galileo Mobility Instruments developed a system of movement for all terrains. The resulting products range from wheelchairs to farm and construction vehicles to military and rescue... READ ON

Article

The Folding Bike

Bikes are great. Great exercise, no fuel costs, very maneuverable, and no emissions. The biggest drawback to using a bike is its size. Most bikes are too big to take... READ ON

Article

The Tantrum-Throwing Alarm Clock

We've posted lists of crazy and annoying alarm clocks before. Here's one that is guaranteed to drive you stark raving bonkers. It's the The Tantrum Throwing Alarm Clock. This clock starts to stir five minutes before alarm time, when it begins to glow. It's almost like the warning signs a child may give when he's ready to go off. Then he opens his mouth, stamps his feet, and starts to whine! You can tap its head for a snooze, but do it too many times and he'll throw a hissy fit anyway. The full-tantrum mode... READ ON